Unisex name · since 1985
Karter
29,465 babies named Karter in U.S. Social Security records since 1985, with the highest year being 2019. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #686 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #270 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 29,465
- born since 1985
- 2010s
- peak decade
Karter currently ranks #270 among unisex names in America, with 29,465 babies recorded since 1985.
Social Security Administration records show Karter recorded 29,465 times among boys since 1985, holding rank #270 nationally today, ahead of 98% of boys, peaking in the 2010s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1985 to 2025.
- #686 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #270 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 29,465 born since 1985
- 2010s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Karter ranks #686 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #270 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 29,465 born since 1985, peaking in the 2010s.
- #686 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #270 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 29,465
- born since 1985
- 2010s
- peak decade
Karter's 29,465 recorded births place it above 98.49% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
50 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Texas.
How Karter compares
29,465 Top 5% higher than 95% of 13,930 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Karter's all-time total is 80x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Karter | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 29,465 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 2,425 | 34 | 22,252 |
Karter's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Karter splits its recorded history at 2007: 96% of all births land in the more recent half, 4% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1985 (5 births) -- compare that against the 2019 peak of 2,425 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Karter popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1985–2025
- Peak year (2019)
- 2,425
- Annual births at peak, across 41 years of records
Karter popularity over time - girls
4,587 total births recorded since 1997 (Karter as girls' name)
Karter by decade
2010s is the heaviest window (16,874 births, 57% of the file).
2010s was Karter's strongest decade.
16,874 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 57% of all-time use.
Karter births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1980s 5
1980s
5 births
- 1990s 212
1990s
212 births
- 2000s 2,079
2000s
2,079 births
- 2010s
2010s
16,874 births
- 2020s
2020s
10,295 births
What this shows Peak: 2010s at 16,874 births (57% of all-time use).
How Karter compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Karter's total volume
Karter by state
Where Karter concentrates geographically, total births since 1985
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Texas | | 2,721 | 9.2% |
| #2 | Georgia | | 1,915 | 6.5% |
| #3 | Florida | | 1,512 | 5.1% |
| #4 | Ohio | | 1,392 | 4.7% |
| #5 | North Carolina | | 1,360 | 4.6% |
| #6 | New York | | 1,242 | 4.2% |
| #7 | California | | 1,237 | 4.2% |
| #8 | Louisiana | | 1,208 | 4.1% |
2,721 of 29,465 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 50 reporting states.
Karter appears in 50 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
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What to do with Karter's data
- Karter's usage has stayed within range of its 2010s decade-level peak (16,874 total births) through the 2020s (10,295) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- Texas records the most Karters (2,721 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Texas names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Karter
Nearby Names Like Karter
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Karter
Compare Karter side by side: Karter vs Karl Karter vs Karson Karter vs Kareem
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Karter
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Karter: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~2019)
Similar record span (~40 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1985–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Karter draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.